


Pulse

by thronesecured (castlestormed)



Series: Love the Job [4]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: F/M, Gen, Team Dynamics, character sketch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-28 23:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6350098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castlestormed/pseuds/thronesecured
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That pulse is proof he's still in this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pulse

Uzuki comes to first, her head throbbing like a hammer pounding a nail into wood. All she remembers is a battle, those damn kids, and her partner and—

Her partner. He's next to her, not moving. She immediately turns to him, ignoring the domino of pain that echoes in various places as she moves. She nudges his arm. Says his name.

No answer.

Is he even breathing?

She drags herself closer to him and tries to see if his chest is rising and falling, but it's difficult to tell because of that stupidly bulky vest that she bought him that one time, which he insists on wearing _everywhere_ even though she has told him time and again that it's lame to keep wearing the same thing, that you gotta switch it up if you want to keep people interested—

Stop.

Stop and breathe and relax.

He is not gone, he's just out like a light. You know how he is, taking every chance he can get to catch some Zs.

She presses the tips of her fingers against his neck and waits. Waits. Waits...

And then gradually it comes, her proof, the faint beating of life.

That they, as Reapers, had pulses was a topic they had once discussed in length not so long ago. It was one of those conversations that seemed to come out of nothing, that lasted for much longer than either of them expected, and that had ended on a philosophical note, as Kariya was in that sort of mood that time.

 _"That proves it,"_ he had said. _"We're not really dead."_

The rest of his theory was pretty crazy and she'd only listened with half an ear, but that opening line stuck with her. "Not really dead". Later on he called their lives as Reapers a "second chance" like it was some kind of grand opportunity that was 'not quite' like resuming their lives in the RG but a pretty swell deal on its own.

She doesn't really care about those kinds of things. She doesn't dwell on them like she knows he does. She likes him but he sometimes drives her crazy, talking about life and the afterlife. It gets on her nerves because she doesn't see how dwelling on those things helps with the present. Analyzing doesn't get the job done, _doing_ does.

When his pulse throbs stronger and stronger against her fingers, she doesn't think about his words about second chances and another life and not really being dead. She just feels a swell of relief because her partner is still in the same world that she is in.

And really, that is all that has ever mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the twewy kink meme on LJ. Prompt was "pulse".


End file.
